Bear bear toes
So a few weeks ago, I got a very strange phone call one morning. I can’t exactly recreate it, but it was from Linda, Public Relations Specialist at the Oregon Zoo. What did she need? Well, help writing a knitting pattern. So far so good. What kind of pattern? Well, mittens. Again reasonable. Then the odd part. Mittens… for bears… in Asia.
It definitely crossed my mind that this was a prank call. In fact, my college roommate way back when was a master prank caller and this is exactly the sort of brilliantly edge-of-the-plausible thing that she would have crafted. But, no, Linda from the Zoo is totally legit (and incredibly nice) and the real story of the cold-toed Asian bears is just as sad as it at first seems odd.
The organization directing the bear mitten effort is the Animals Asia Foundation, a Hong Kong-based charity dedicated to ending cruelty and restoring respect for all animals in Asia. The images in this post are from their blog. Right now, they need mittens for the Malayan Sun Bear.
Any zoo folks reading this are welcome to correct me, but my understanding is that bears are rescued from inhumane conditions where they are destined to become parts for traditional medicinal remedies, snacks, and the like. The AAF’s blog goes into more detail about the stories of the bears – be warned it is not for the squeamish. As you might imagine, the bears usually need veterinary care and (also not a big stretch here to imagine) they must be anaesthetized to receive this care. It’s important that they stay warm and comfortable during the process but, just as for humans, bears’ extremities are the first things to chill. What they need is HUGE mittens to help their paws stay warm while they’re asleep.
So, I did my best to write up a pattern, and a few days later a whole group of Oregon Zoo volunteers came and started knitting bear mittens. What fun! Tracy Barry from KGW 8 came and interviewed everyone and the story is going to be on Monday’s evening news.
The first finished mitten is below, thanks to Jennie!
So to recap:
1. Knit a mitten for bears in need! Check out our bear mitten page
for the pattern and where to take finished mittens.
2. Watch us on KGW 8 tomorrow evening!
and, as an added incentive, although emily is pretty convinced she sounded like an idiot talking to tracy barry, her hair, in her words, “was fabulous that day.”
Oh my god … this is why I love you guys. Who else would a person turn to in time of bear-mitten need? Twisted to the rescue!
Wow, really? Bear Mittens? I would love to see a bear running through the yard with mittens. Sleep socks in Dream of Color Classy? I know I love mine! BTW, loved stopping in the store a couple weeks back. I wrote a review in the latest entry on my Blog (very few readers, through) but just wanted to stop by and say, “thanks, you run a really great store!”
I saw you! I saw you!!! Yee haw!!! You guys rock!! And your hair did look “fabulous”!!!
I saw you, too. Emily looked great. Loved the hair!!
One more reason Twisted rocks. Knitting + helping sad critters = wonderful. Bears are one of my favorite animals. I’ll have to add this to my Ravelry queue!
This is GREAT… missed the TV spot though, so am wondering whether there is a deadline for these?
[...] with the Oregon Zoo and a PDX yarn shop called Twisted You can read the whole story here at Twisted’s blog, but I’ll offer a condensed version: a woman at the zoo contacted Twisted, and [...]
[...] the bear mitten story on KGW that aired on Monday evening. While several had to do with my outstanding hair, most were inquiries about the mitten pattern and where to send finished booties. So, we’ve [...]
Bear mittens– what a concept. However, my daughter-in-law could not possibly “sound like an idiot”! And yes, she does have fabulous hair. What a great story to add to the growing saga of Twisted. And thanks for taking good care of my sweetie during her recent visit.
Hi everyone, Happy April Fool’s Day!!
Benny is almost 32 years old. All his friends are now married, but Benny just dates and dates.
Finally, his friend asks him, “What’s the matter, Benny? Are you looking for the perfect woman? Are you really that fussy? Surely you can find someone who suits you?”
“No I just cant,” Benny replies. “I meet many nice girls, but as soon as I bring them home to meet my parents, my mother doesn’t like them. So I keep on looking!”
“Listen,” his friend suggests, “why don’t you find a girl who’s just like your mother?”
Many weeks go by and again Benny and his friend get together.
“So, have you found the perfect girl? One that’s just like your mother?”
Benny shrugs his shoulders, “Yes, I found one just like mum. Mum loved her right from the start and they have become good friends.”
“So, do I owe you a Mazel Tov? Are you and this girl engaged yet?”
“I’m afraid not. My father can’t stand her!”
Happy April Fool’s Day!